Moscow Mule for #ElleAPalooza

An easy cocktail that packs a punch of bright flavors from ginger beer and lime, the Moscow Mule is as refreshing as it is pretty. 

This post is a tribute to a friend and blogger who passed away suddenly last week. Her real name was LeeAnn but we all knew her as Elle of Elle’s New England Kitchen.  She was 45 years young and leaves behind an enormous group of devastated family members and friends, including her husband and four children.

Here’s a question for you:  Can you be genuine friends with someone if you haven’t met them? I think back to the days of elementary school-age pen pals and handwritten letters and I say yes. And nowadays, social media and the internet make it even easier than ever. For instance, I meet people through comments on this blog, interest groups and fan pages on Facebook, communities on Google Plus and forums like Chowhound. Some become real life friends. To the point that I would squeal and get excited at the chance to spent time together in person. Elle was one of those people. I met Elle through a Facebook group called The Cookbook Junkies and her fun personality and quick wit endeared her to us all. As a fellow food blogger with a love of family and cooking, not to mention the aforementioned addiction to cookbooks, I couldn’t help but feel we had a lot in common. More than anything else, social media have shown us that we are more alike than we are different. Which made the news of her death a huge shock to everyone in our Facebook and blogging communities. 

We wanted to do what we could to ease the suffering of her family and, frankly, make ourselves feel a little better, a little less useless in the face of loss. So, we give you #ElleAPalooza, a multi-blogger tribute weekend to one of our own, one of the best of our own, when we all choose a recipe to share from Elle’s blog and ask you to consider contributing an item for an online auction in her honor which is being organized in the coming weeks or donate to a fund for her family right now. 

I spent ages looking through Elle’s New England Kitchen, reading from her very first post  back in 2008 and searching for just the right recipe. I finally settled on a cocktail called a Moscow Mule. I could have toasted Elle with a piece of blueberry pie or honey lime chicken tacos or even Watermelon Nectarine Salsa (Doesn’t that sound divinely refreshing?) But I finally decided that Elle deserves a proper toast and a proper toast requires a cocktail. 

I’ve got to tell you that I’ve never had a Moscow Mule before but it was fresh and delicious and it is my new favorite drink. So here’s to you, Elle! Know that you have touched more lives that can be counted with your kindness, your generosity of spirit, your snarky sense of humor and especially your delicious recipes. You are greatly missed.

Ingredients for one Moscow Mule 

1/2 oz fresh lime juice (about half of one big lime)

2 oz or 30ml vodka 

4-6 oz or 120-180ml cold ginger beer 

(My bottle says Ginger Soda because this is Dubai and I guess they aren’t allowed to call it beer in case someone thinks it has alcohol but it’s the real deal, from Australia.

Method

Squeeze the juice of 1/2 a lime into a tall glass, and toss the lime in after it.

Add about one cup of ice and pour in the vodka.

Top up with the cold ginger beer. Stir lightly and serve.

Lift a glass to Elle and enjoy!

If you’d like to read more #ElleAPalooza recipes and tributes, please join the Friends of Elle Facebook page where we will be sharing our links.

Here are a few that are live already:

• Almond Joy Muffins from Janet at Gourmet Traveller 88
• Banana Bread Beer Donut Muffins from Heather at He Cooks She Cooks
• Better Than Ultimate Brownies from Felice at All That's Left Are the Crumbs
• Cheddar Cornbread Bacon Pancakes from Amy at Savory Moments
• Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars from Kristen at Dine and Dish
• Edamame Ginger Dip from Michelle at Taste As You Go
• Flourless Peanut Butter Cinnamon Cookies from Dawn at Vanilla Kitchen 
• Garden Gazpacho with Hazelnuts from Kristina at Spabettie
• Elle's Bratwurst and Apple Kale Sandwiches from Reneé at Kudos Kitchen by Reneé
• Elle's Favorite Bean Dip from Rachelle at Mommy? I'm Hungry!
• Elle's Lemon Agave Cake from Laura at The Spiced Life
• Elle’s Mushroom Bourguignon with Venison from Jenn at The Leftover Queen
• Elle’s Teriyaki Chicken Wings from Feride at AZ Cookbook
• Experimental Scoops - Hard Cider and Plum Sherbert from Jenn at The Leftover Queen
• Insalata Caprese with Fried Buitoni Ravioli from Gabi at The Feast Within
• Moscow Mule from Stacy at Food Lust People Love
• Raw Cream of Asparagus Soup from Kristina at Spabettie
• Spiced Pumpkin Chickpea Stew from Renee at Flamingo Musings
• Supreme Pizza Soup from Heather at girlichef
• Supremely Tasty Puff Pastry Pizza Tart from Kristina at Spabettie
• Tomato Soup from ZeBot the Zebra at ZeBot's Kitchen
• Vegan Oat Cranberry Pecan Chocolate Chip Cookies from Katrina at Baking and Boys

If you’d like to sign Elle’s legacy guestbook online, here’s that link as well. 

Once more: the link to Elle’s family fund Paypal account.  Find the link to donate here. 

If you would like to donate an item for the upcoming auction, please drop me a line at foodlustpeoplelove@gmail.com or contact the organizer Heather Shively by sending an email to heather@bodaciousgirl.com.